Method for deodorizing oil and similar materials, and apparatus for the working thereof



April 14, 1964 J. A. DE SMET 3,129,076 METHOD FOR DEODORIZING OIL AND SIMILAR MATERIALS, AND

APPARATUS FOR THE WORKING THEREOF Filed Feb. 9, 1961 JNVENTOR JEAN ALBERT ussmer ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,129,076 METHOD FOR DEODORIZING OIL AND SIMILAR MATERIALS, AND APPARATUS FOR THE WORK- ING THEREOF Jean Albert De Smet, Wilrijk, Belgium, assignor to Extraction continue De Smet, Antwerp, Belgium, a company of Belgium Filed Feb. 9, 1961, Ser. No. 88,097 Claims priority, application Belgium Feb. 12, 1960 5 Claims. (CI. 55-38) This invention relates to a method for deodorizing oil and similar materials, in which this material is treated by means of a fluid in two steps, the first step comprising passing the material through a column into which the fluid flows in counter current, the second step comprising treating the material that comes out of the column with the fluid to be supplied to the column.

The invention has for its essential object to provide a method the second treatment step of which enables to obtain a complete deodorizing, while retaining a good efliciency by means of a small-size apparatus.

For this purpose, during the second step, treating is made into a plurality of compartments, the material coming out of the column is passed to a compartment and from there to another compartment and thus from one compartment to another towards a discharge outlet, the material being subjected inside each compartment to circulating motion with the fluid, circulating motion of the material inside each compartment being stronger than the flow of the material from the column through the compartments towards the discharge outlet, and the fluid from each compartment is discharged through the column.

The invention also pertains to an apparatus for working this method.

According to the invention, this apparatus comprises a pipe provided in the upper part thereof with a center opening through which it can be connected to the lower part of a column and with side openings through which it can communicate with the upper part of various compartments, a plurality of compartments, the first one of which communicating with the lower part of said pipe, each one of the intermediate compartments communicating with the two adjacent compartments and the last compartment communicating with a discharge outlet, an ejector in the lower part of each compartment and a fluid supply duct to each one of said ejectors.

In an advantageous embodiment of the apparatus according to the invention, each one of said ejectors leads to a channel that opens tangentially inside a cylindrical wall which is located in the compartment and which is open upwards and downwards.

In a preferred embodiment of the apparatus according to the invention, the side openings of said pipe are limited by edges slanting downwards towards the inside of the pipe.

Other details and features of the invention will stand out from the description given below by way of non limitative example and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a vertical section, along line I-I of FIG. 2, through an apparatus which is part of a plant for deodorizing oil and similar materials.

FIG. 2 is a horizontal section along line II-II of FIG. 1.

In both figures, the same reference numerals pertain to similar elements.

The apparatus shown in the figures is part of a plant for deodorizing oil or similar materials, which comprises a column 1 only the lowermost end of which is shown. The apparatus comprises essentially a vessel 2 which is divided into six compartments 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8, by partitions 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 and 14 and centrally located therein a pipe 15. This pipe 15 is mounted on the bottom 16 of vessel 2 and has an upper portion 17 connected to the open end 18 of column 1. The oil to be deodorized flows downwardly through column 1 in the direction of arrow 19, and further into pipe 15. Near the bottom 16 of vessel 2 an opening 20 is provided in the wall of pipe 15, through which the oil passes into compartment 3. Openings 21 are provided in each one of the partitions 9, 10, 11, 12, and 13, but not in partition 14 so that the oil that enters compartment 3 through opening 20 of pipe 15, fills successively compartments 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 until its level, designated by a dash-dotted line 31, attains that of an overflow pipe 22 provided in compartment 8. As oil overflows and is conducted from the vessel through pipe 22, fresh oil passes through opening 20 into compartment 3 so that there is a continuous flow of oil along the general path indicated by arrows 23 from pipe 15 to pipe 22.

Moreover, the oil is subjected inside each compartment to strong circulating motion with steam which is supplied into each one of compartments 3 to 8 by ejectors 24. The steam which passes through regulator 25 and the flow of which is controlled individually for each compartment by a valve 26, enters the compartment through an ejector 24 and takes along the oil which is present at the bottom of the compartment. The oil and the steam, intimately mixed together, pass through a duct 27 which opens tagentially inside a cylindrical Wall 28 which is open up wards and downwards. The oil flows back down to the compartment bottom, while the steam separates from the oil and rises to enter column 1 through the side openings 29 of upper portion 17 of pipe 15. To prevent the oil flowing downwardly from opening 18 of column 1 from passing through these side openings 29, the latter are provided with edges 30 which are slanted downwards and towards the interior of pipe portion 17. The steam entering column 1 through the openings 29, flows through the column along the direction of arrow 31 countercurrently to the oil which flows downwardly through the column. Oil circulating, under the influence of ejectors 24 inside each one of compartments 3 to 8, is stronger than the oil flow from column 1 through the various compartments 3 to 8 towards the discharge pipe 22. Not only has the contact between the oil and the steam or the fluid eventually replacing this steam a rather long duration, but the mixing of oil and steam is repeated several times for each oil part, as each oil part will pass again several times through the various ejectors 24.

It must be understood that the invention is in no way limited to the above embodiments and that many changes may be brought therein without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A method for deodorizing liquid material, which comprises (a) passing the material through a column,

(b) passing the material from said column successively through a plurality of compartments arranged in series for deodorizing treatment therein,

(c) discharging the treated material from the last compartment of said series,

(d) injecting a fluid into each of said compartments in such a manner as to subject the resulting fluid-material mixture therein to a circulating motion which is stronger than the flow of said material through said series of compartments,

(e) causing said fluid-material mixture to separate into fluid and material and returning the material to said flow through said series of compartments, and

(f) passing the separated fluid through said column countercurrently to the material passing therethrough.

2. An apparatus for deodorizing liquid material, comprising a pipe, a column the lower part of which is connected to the upper part of said pipe, a vessel surrounding said pipe and the lower part of said column, said vessel comprising a bottom and a cylindrical wall and being in fluid-tight relationship with respect to said column and the lower edge of said pipe, partitions on the bottom of said vessel between the pipe and the cylindrical wall, said partitions defining compartments between said pipe and said cylindrical wall, an opening in each but one of said partitions, an opening in the lower part of said pipe in the compartment contiguous at one side of the partition without an opening, a discharge outlet in the compartment contiguous at the other side of said partition without an opening, an ejector in the lower part of each compartment, a fluid supply duct to each one of said ejectors, and openings in the upper part of said pipe above said partitions.

3. An apparatus as claimed in claim 6, comprising a cylinder in each of said compartments, said cylinder being open upwards and downwards, and channel means in each of said compartments connecting said ejector and said cylinder, said channel opening tangentially into the interior of said cylinder.

4. An apparatus as described in claim 6, further comprising means associated with said openings in the upper part of said pipe and adapted for permitting passage of said fluid from said compartments through said lastmentioned openings into the interior of said pipe while preventing passage of said material from the interior of said pipe through said last-mentioned openings into said compartments.

5. An apparatus as claimed in claim 6, comprising edges limiting said openings in the upper part of the pipe, said edges slanting downwards towards the inside of the pipe.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 624,527 Otto May 9, 1899 2,187,905 Killingsworth Jan. 23, 1940 2,653,801 Fontein et a1 Sept. 29, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS 747,159 Germany Sept. 11, 1944 

1. A METHOD FOR DEODORIZING LIQUID MATERIAL, WHICH COMPRISES (A) PASSING THE MATERIAL THROUGH A COLUMN, (B) PASSING THE MATERIAL FROM SAID COLUMN SUCCESSIVELY THROUGH A PLURALITY OF COMPARTMENTS ARRANGED IN SERIES FOR DEODORIZING TREATMENT THEREIN, (C) DISCHARGING THE TREATED MATERIAL FROM THE LAST COMPARTMENT OF SAID SERIES, (D) INJECTING A FLUID INTO EACH OF SAID COMPARTMENTS IN SUCH A MANNER AS TO SUBJECT THE RESULTING FLUID-MATERIAL MIXTURE THEREIN TO A CIRCULATING MOTON WHICH IS STRONGER THAN THE FLOW OF SAID MATERIAL THROUGH SAID SERIES OF COMPARTMENTS, (E) CAUSING SAID FLUID-MATERIAL MIXTURE TO SEPARATE INTO FLUID AND MATERIAL AND RETURNING THE MATERIAL TO SAID FLOW THROUGH SAID SERIES OF COMPARTMENTS, AND (F) PASSING THE SEPARATED FLUID THROUGH SAID COLUMN COUNTERCURRENTLY TO THE MATERIAL PASSING THERETHROUGH. 